What a pity that I don't read Turkish, I would have loved to read how Turkey aproaches the subject of the sustainable city.

06.03.2017

Fine particles in the air, coming mostly from combustion of diesel or wood, are dangerous for human health, even if the official limits are not exceeded, explains nano-toxicologist Richard Gminski from the Institute for environmental medicine of the university clinics of Freiburg. This is the interview Astrid Mayer did with the expert: http://www.con-texte.de/gminski.pdf

25.01.2017

Freiburg Future Lab member of the cooperative "Haus des Engagements"

The city of Freiburg will have to decide soon between two investors: Who will buy the former citizen administration centre, situated very attractively in the city centre, that has now become obsolete because of the newly built technical town hall? The university of Freiburg wants the building for its student’s union. And the cooperative “house of citizens”, composed of now 71 institutions, associations and companies, wants it, Freiburg Future Lab being one of it. More information here. The specialist for energetical renovations, Willi Sutter from the cooperative "Bogenständig" is one of the associates, too. http://www.bogenstaendig.org

The "house of the citizens" will house associations and companies engaged in susbtainable development and social well-being. It wants to help coordinate and civic participation and engagement.

The decision about whom the building will be sold by the city will be taken the 2nd of February by the city council. If it won’t be postponed: A lot of parties are still undecided, some of them would prefer to wait and get more information before deciding.>> Badische Zeitung, 25.01.2017

10.12.2016

Guest of the ILGBC (Israelian Green Building Council) in Tel Aviv for workshops and lectures

With the help of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Freiburg Future Lab was invited to the "white city" for a series of workshops and lectures about sustainable urbanism. Tel Aviv is a fast growing city, with a wonderful seaside promenade and a lot of traffic problems. But also with beautiful avenues rich with old trees and a wonderful, huge Bauhaus heritage – thanks to Ayal Ronen for the visit there!
We had an inspiring workshop about establishing a catalogue of criteria to define sustainable neighbourhoods, a workshop at the Tel Aviv town hall about the planning of sustainable new districts and mobility, and a workshop with the ILGBC staff.
It was encouraging to meet a lot of young people, and of experienced, engaged people. To those in the audience of my lecture in the old port of Tel Aviv, who think about leaving their city for Freiburg: Coming back here meant facing a temperature gap of 25°C! No Yoga on the roof terrace any more in winter time!

07.11.2016

The Union of Turkish Municipalities has visited Freiburg for a study tour about energy efficiency in the cities. But energy efficiency is not the sole concern.

Interview with Recep Şahin, Deputy General Secretary of the Union of Turkish Municipalities

Future Lab: What are the main goals of the Union of Turkish Municipalities at the moment?

Recep Şahin: Our main goals is to support municipalities. Especially three domains are important:
First: Capacity strengthening by trainings, participation to fairs, congresses etc. We work with mayors, council members and all municipal officials.
Second: Defining the problematic areas of municipalities and political lobbying to solve these problems. We have to increase the revenues and boost the financial development of the municipalities. The main preoccupations are urban transformation, public transportation, waste management, water and wastewater issues, i.e; leakages in drinking water network, difficulties in expropriation activities and so on.
Third: Take part in the legislation processes concerning municipalities.

Future Lab: What are the most dynamic cities in Turkey at the moment, and what are the challenges there?

Recep Şahin: In 2014, a law has enlarged the responsibilities of bigger municipalities (in 30 out of 81 provinces). They are now also in charge of many domains, except security, health and education and have to deal with a lot of different technical and socio-economic issues. The new greater municipalities are more busy and have to provide more efforts than others.

Future Lab: Is climate change an issue that the Union thinks should be addressed also on municipality level?

Recep Şahin: Of course, the involvement, effort and handling of the local authorities regarding climate issues are essential. Here, "bottom up" – initiatives will be very precious. The Mınistry of Environment has issued a climate change action plan in 2010 and municipalities are supposed to improve the efficiency in public transportation, the energy efficiency in buildings, to install proper waste disposal.

Future Lab: Do you believe that more climate friendly cities will be cities with a better life quality also?

Recep Şahin: I believe that the more ecological solution will be the more economic one on the long run. We should achieve this for the sustainability of life, and also taking into account life standards.

08.07.2016

Invited to the first summer university of the french public administration

In the gorgeous site of the former Cluny abbey, place of ancient knowledge and wisdom, the first summer university oft he french public administration took place, with a try for innovative learning methodes. This meant: a lot of movement, remixing the groups, stimulating communication. Being seated on lawns or in the ancient buildings, instead of seats around a table – and making work different brain areas.

The workshop about sustainable urbanism had also an input from Freiburg Future Lab – without power point, just told as a story: What has been innovative, why, and what hasn't been? What is innovation actually? Questions that made us think and exchange a lot, and in a very pleasant way.

A conference by the sea in Aarhus, Denmark, organized by the danish association for sustainable cities and buildings ("Foreningen Baeredygte Byer og Bygninger").http://www.fbbb.dk/Arrangementer

The complexity of planning and what became of the plans in reality was the subject of the lecture given by Astrid Mayer in Aarhus. Freiburg is planning two new eco-districts and has two eco-districts where ready since some years, so a balance can be made about success and satisfaction and how they were obtained. Interesting discussions about the possibilities of civic participation and how to obtain social mix followed. Other speakers were Kai Dietrich from the IBA Hamburg and Jens Egdal from Ramboll; Roland Zinkernagel, Malmö.

Present was also the mayor who wants Bratislava to develop. Still dwelling and working places are quite seperated in the city. But alternative projects are developing there, too. Another speaker was Mattijs van't Hoff, who talked about the concept of "Plinths" – how to create diverse and inviting streets by having working on the ground floors.http://www.thecityateyelevel.com

18.06.2015

Our contribution to the international seminary "Attractiveness of Territories" in Strasbourg

Freiburg Future Lab has contributed to the international seminary "Attractiveness of Territories" in Strasbourg, organized by the Strasbourg Agency for Urbanism ADEUS. How can "attractiveness" be defined, how can it be improved? Should a region attract talents from outside or rather stimulate and promote the inhabitants? What can give impulses and a positive dynamism to a region or city? The seminary brought exciting debates also because of the presence of referees coming from different horizons: Economical scientists questioned popular models – and Future Lab spoke about civic participation as a quality management tool in urban planning processes.

06.03.2015

World cultural heritage Jeju Island is looking for sustainable development

The province government of Jeju Island, Korea, wants to stop urban sprawl, promote use of public transportation and develop renewable energies: Wind and sun don't lack on the island. Freiburg Future Lab was guest for a lecture on the volcano island declared world cultural heritage by the UNESCO. There is much to do, also in order to make the mass tourism on the island more sustainable: 12 million tourists every year, mostly from china. Protect the natural resources, communicate about the very special nature and culture of this particularly beautiful piece of earth is one of the goals of the province government, which got a particularly developed status of autonomy some years ago.

10.03.2015

Seminary in Sweden: Energy Management of small and middle sized municipalities

With examples from Germany, and also an input of Freiburg Future Lab: How can municipalities plan their energy supply? On which levels can this happen, how strong should decentralization be practiced?
The answer for Sweden seems simple: Most of the households in and around Stockholm – where a majoritiy of Swedens live – are connected to a heat grid. Why not keep this practice?
Simply because the more energy efficient buildings become – and they do become in Sweden – the less the connection to the heat grid is rentable; neither for the company running the grid (weak consumption) nor for the user. Furthermore, many Swedens wish alternatives to the heat grid.

These were discussed the 10th of March in Knivsta, about 40 km north of Stockholm. With the participation of several different smaller and middle municipalities around Stockholm. Knivsta is a young municipality – only a bit more than ten years old – and will build a rather vast, new eco-district to respond to increasing housing demand in and around Stockholm.

08.11.2014

"Help consumers to put down anchillory costs in renting"

Freiburg Future Lab participated at the Colloquium of the French national renters Association in Paris. Input about the renovations in a social housing district in Freiburg, Weingarten. Installing counters to help to divide justly the heating and water costs is good. Even better is to lower heating demands so thoroughly that counters aren't needed any more. Furthermore, a huge renovation project is a good occasion for a massive civic participation that creates links between renters and enforces their bonds, creating a better living atmosphere.

The fifth Local Renewables Conference focuses on the combination of locally generated renewable energy, smart grids and smart end-users.
Close cooperation and interconnection between cities and regions is essential in this context.

Freiburg Future Lab participates with a study trip to an energy producing Farm.